When you hear a story you are literally using more of your brain then when you are listening to facts and figures. And because you are having a richer brain event, you enjoy the experience more, you understand the information more deeply, and retain it longer. You are also more likely to release oxytocin in your brain, making it more likely that you will trust the speaker.

When you want to motivate someone it's a great idea to give them a lot of feedback on how they are doing. But when you mix praise in with the feedback you are sending a mixed message and dampening the desire for mastery.

Rewards are one of the most common ways that people think of to get other people to do stuff, but they aren't the most effective way to motivate people. If you are going to use rewards to motivate, you'd better know the science behind them.

People have a desire to master skills and knowledge. You can stimulate that desire by breaking tasks into small steps and giving lots of feedback on progress. This will keep people wanting to do and learn more.

It might be counter-intuitive, but if you are having a hard time solving a problem then the best thing to do might be to go to a coffee shop, stop working, and then take a nap! Here's the brain science behind these "stop working" recommendations.

We tell ourselves stories about who we are and why we do what we do. Some of the most profound and permanent behavior change comes from changing our "self-stories". And it's a lot easier to get people to change their stories than you may think.

What if all it took to be happy was 30 seconds of time a few times a day? What if you could start practicing right now and it took one day to learn how to be happy? And what if it was free? I know, it sounds impossible, but I want to share with you a simple technique that you can try right away. It really seems to work.

Do you think you'd make different decisions if you were holding something heavy in your hand than holding nothing? Or if you were holding a cup of hot coffee instead of a cold drink? Touching a soft fabric? Sounds unlikely, but it's true—"haptic sensations" affect the decisions we make.

The more choice and opportunity that we have the more regret we feel. If you want others to feel less regret then offer them fewer choices to start with. And don't be surprised if the younger people you know tend to feel regret a lot and the older people not so much.

It’s easy for people to take on the goals, motivations, emotions, and even physical reactions of people whom they feel even minimally connected to. And when they do they'll work harder and be more motivated.

We like having choices because it makes us feel in control. We won’t always choose the fastest way to get something done. We want to feel that we are powerful and that we have choices.If you want people to do stuff, give them options.

People whose mind wanders a lot are more creative and better problem solvers. They are able to work on the task at hand, while simultaneously processing other information and making connections amongst ideas. The ability to come in and out of mind wandering at will is the hallmark of the most creative people.